"Isaac Hayden remained at the club despite wanting to leave for family reasons. It will always be in the back of people's minds when you are in the trenches and when you are trying to dig out a result, where you will be thinking whether a player who has said he wanted to leave will really want to dig that deep for the team. His performances have been indifferent and when it comes to the crunch you want players who want to play for Newcastle United."

Benitez suggested that he kept Hayden due to a lack of options in central midfield, so should Newcastle sign someone in that position in the summer, it will surely only be a matter of time before the 23-year-old is granted his wish to leave Tyneside.

Until that happens, though, the former Arsenal academy graduate remains very much a Magpies player, and he will be expected to give 100 per cent whenever he puts on the famous black and white stripes.

Antony Martin

A passionate football writer with an obsession for the beautiful game. Still has not seen either his club or country win a trophy during his time on earth. Aside from football, he is also a keen follower of golf, tennis and darts.